Charles t



(Nomoael.) C. T. RANNEY.

DRIP CUP ATTAGHMBNT FOR REFRIGBRATORS.

No. 498,489. Patented May 30, 1893.

UV im 'Y f la Nl l fi? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES T. RANNEY, OF GREENVILLE, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE RANNEY REFRIGERATOR COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

DRlP-C-UP ATTACHMENT FOR REFRIGERATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,489, dated May 30, 1893.

Application liled December 6, 1892.

To @ZZ whom it may concern.- V

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. RANNEYNf Greenville, in the county of Montcalm and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drip-Cup 'Attachrnents for Refrigerators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the let ters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specicat-ion.

. My invention relates to drip cups or traps for the waste-pipes of refrigerators;'such cups or traps being designed to seal the wastepipes against the .entrance of air through the Waste-pipes and thus serve to prevent undes sirable raising of the internal'temperature of the refrigerators.

My invention relates, more particularly to attachmentsfor 'tilting the drip-cups or traps so as to wholly or partially empty the cups or traps of waste-water contained therein.

The objects of my inventio are to produce drip-cup or trap tilting atta hments which shall be simple, strong, durable, and inexpensive in construction, and capable of application to a great variety of drip-cups or traps, and which shall, furthermore, be entirely concealed from the view, so as not to detract from the ornamental appearance of the re frigerators.

`A still further object of my invention is to produce drip-cup or trapk tilting attachments which, in addition to the advantages above enumerated, can be easily and conveniently operated by an attendant, while removing the drip-pan, and which shall automatically ,return the dripcup to its normal position, as

soon as released by an attendant.

To the above purposes, my invention con. sists in certain peculiar and novel features of construction and arrangement, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In order thatzmy invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in.

Which- Figure 1 is'a front elevation of the lower part of a ref rigerator-casing having my inven- .tion applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same, taken on theline Serial No. 454,233. (No model.)

2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detached view, in side elevation, of a modified form of pivotal drip-cup. Fig. 4 is also a detached view, in side elevation, of a still further modification in the form of drip-cup and also of a skeleton pivotal holder for said cup. Fig' is a detached View, in perspective, of a still further modification of the drip-cup and its hanger'.

In the said drawings,A designates the lower part of the casing or frame of a refrigerator, and a the legs or supports of the same, whileBl designates the dri p-pi pe which is shown asinserted at. its -upper end through the bottom a of the refrigerator-casing A and as depending below said bottom in the usual manner.

It is to be understood that the .refrigerator itself may be of the; usual yor of any known type of construction; the legs or supports a sustaining the bottom a ofthe casing at such lheight above the floor aswill permit a pan C,

or any other suitable jrecepta'cle,'to be placed beneath the refrigerator-,vso asto receive theV drip-water therefrom. l

In Fig. 2, I'have shown a bracket D as de? pending from the bottom ai of thje refriger-v ator-casing at a pointl adjacent to the drip'.-

pipe B, and a drip-cupD as .,pivotally con* nected-` at one side, as at d, to.' the lower end* f the bracket D. the arrangement being such that normally the drip-cup D occupies a horizontal position beneath the lower end of the drip-pipe B,so that thelowe'r end of said pipe shall be close. to the bottom of the drip-cup and usually immersed in the waste-water with which the drip-cup is either wholly or partially filled. E designates a strip or piece of molding which is shown as located between the front legs or supports at of the refrigerator-casing A, and also as attached at its upper edge to the lower front edge 0f said refrigerator-casing by suitable hinges c; the strip E being thus adapted to normally de,F pend vertically between the legs or supports a, and also to,be swung upward and outward or forward. A 'rod F is shown as extending rearwardly beneath the bottom a of the refrigerator-casing and as havinga ring or handlef at its front or outer end, and also as passed through the lower end o'f a guide bracket or arm f .whichis pendent from the bottom a at a point considerably in lfront of through the lug d on the bottom of the'cup l D, being shown as the means for such connection. A second han er 7o is shown as de-v pending vertically from the bottom a of the refrigerator, at a point between the hanger f and the strip E of molding, the front end-portion of the rod Fworking loosely through this hanger lo. y A'spiral spring K surrounds the -rod F'at points between the hanger 7c and a collar lo which surrounds the rod F and which issecured'thereto bya set-screw 7a2 or in any suitable manner.

In Fig. 3, I have shown a modified form of drip-cup which is peculiarly adapted 'for use in connection with the described attachments. This cup G is preferably of sheet-metal (as is also the drip-cup D) and closely resembles the drip-cup D in the form of its body-portion. At one side, however, this drip-cup G is shown as formed, orotherwise provided, with an upwardly extending arm or standard G at the upper 'end of which is formed an eye g; the intention being to pass a staple, or an equivalent device, through the eye g and to insert said staple into the under side of the bottom of the refrigerating-casing, so as to pivotally suspend the drip-cup from said bottom. In this instance, the ring or eye f2, at the rear or inner end of the rod F, is passed through a lug or ear g projecting from the front side of the cup G, near the bot-tom thereof. In allv otherA respects, the' attachments are the same as those previously described.

In Fig. 4, I have shown a still further modiication of the drip-cup and its pivotal connections. In this instance, the body-portion of the cup H is shown as of thesame form as the body-portion of the cup G, but with the arm or standard G' and lug g omitted. The drip-cup His shown as inserted rearwardly 'into a skeleton supporting-frame or holder, which is preferably formed of wire, and which is shown as composed of two parallel horizontal portions I connected together by a number of vertical portions t', so as to surround or embrace the sides of the cup H. One of the vertical portions t' is prolonged, so :as to form an upwardly extending arm or standard I', which is located at the front side of the frame or holder and at the upper end of which is formed a ring or eye t2. The intention is to pass a staple, or an equivalent device, through the ring or eye 112 and :to insert said staple into the under side of the refrigerator-bottom so as to pivotally suspend the skeleton frame or holder therefrom. In this instance, the ring or eye j2 at the rear or inner end of the rod F is' shown as passed through the eye t3 at the point of juncture of the front Vertical portion t' of the holder with the lower'horizontal portion I thereof. In all other respects, the attachments are .also the same as those previously described.

In Fig. 5,1 have shown a still-further modification of the drip-cup. In this instance, the cup J is similar in form to the cup G andlis provided with a lug or ear j similar in form and purpose to the lugs d and g ofthe cups D and G. Thiscup is provided with a bail J of approximately inverted U-form; the ends of the bail embracing -the sides of the cup, and being riveted or soldered thereto. Suitable staples are intended to embrace the cross-bar of the bail and to be driven into the bottom of the refrigerator, so as to. support thecup.

From the above description, it will be seen that as the waste-water escapes` from the refrigerator-casing through the drip-pipe B, it iills the drip-cup so as to immerse the lower end of said pipe and thus prevent air from entering the outlet of the refrigerator. ,The pressure of the spring K acting upon the rod F and against the hanger 7s, is sufficient to retain the drip-cupin its normal horizontal position, even when said cup is filled with waste-water. As the water continues to escapeA from the refrigerator it overiiows from the drip-cup and falls into the pan or receptacle C, finally filling the latter and necessitating its removal from beneath the refrigerating-casing, and also requiring that the p'an or receptacle should be emptied. While the pan is removed and being emptied of its contained water, itl is necessary cup should be either partially or wholly emptied of its contained water so that no water shall fall upon the floor before the pan or re ceptacle is returned to its place.- Inremoving the pan from beneath the refrigerator, the strip or piece E of molding is first raised, so as to expose the front end of thevrod F, and the attendant then pulls forward upon the rod F; compressing the spring K and tilt,- ing the cup so as to either partly' or wholly empty its water into the'pan C. The attendant now releases the rod F, so as to permit the spring K to expand and vreturn the drip? cup to its normal position, and then removes the pan C. After emptying the pan, the attendant again raises the strip E and replaces the pan beneath the drip-cup. Thus it will be seen that, by virtue of the attachments above described, I have wholly avoided all possibility of the escape of water from the drip-cup during the absence of the pan orA receptacle for catching of the same.`

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as'new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A refrigerator' having a drip-cup provided with spring-pressed' connections serving to retain the drip-cup in its normal position and extendingI toward the front of the refrigerator; the spring surrounding said connections, substantially as set forth.

2. A refrigerator provided with a pivoted drip-cup, a sliding operating rodconnected that the drip- IIO y498,489 l s r to the drip-cup, al compressible springl con nectedto and surrounding the operating-rod and serving to retain the drip-cup in its normal position, substantially as set forth.

5 3. "A refrigerator provided with a. pivoted drip-cup secured to its boi'.tom,.aI pull-redeecured to the drip-cup andexipending forward therefrom, guide-hangers, 4through which the pull-rod passes, depending from the refrigerxo ator bottom, and a spiraispring -surrounding the rod and interposed between one Aofthe hangers and a. collar on the rod, substantially 4myinvention Lhereiinto aix my-signature x5 in presence of two Witnesses.

` CHARLES T. RANNEY.. Witnesses:

T. I. PEELPS, A. B. GARDNER. 

